Broken Pieces
by Xokiihs
Summary: She had been broken and glued back again many times; he was still trying to figure out how to put his pieces together. When their eyes meet, only one thing remains unanswered: Can two broken pieces form a whole? Jasper/OC. (Breaking dawn p.2/ post BD)
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

"Slow days have passed that make a year,

Slow hours that make a day,

Since I could take my first dear love

And kiss him the old way;

Yet the green leaves touch me on the cheek,

Dear Christ, this month of May."

 **A Year and a Day**

Elizabeth Siddal

The night was cold on the streets of Portland. The full moon was hiding behind the orange clouds while a drizzle fell down, not strong enough to make the few passersby of the small city use an umbrella, but still making Ana's clothes slightly wet. She hugged her body, trying to keep herself warm through the chilly wind and the cold rain, realizing that it was an unsuccessful attempt. Sighing, she cursed at herself for not listening to her mother when she told her to not wear a skirt with only tights underneath, because the weather forecast had said that the night would be cold.

Now she was shaking like a leaf, feeling her legs freezing without the proper protection a pair of pants would bring. All of that because she wanted to show herself to Jeff, the cute guy from the bar that she had had a crush on for ages, only to see him flirting with another girl, who, by the way, was wearing pants.

 _Ridiculous!_ She thought, kicking herself for being so stupid. _Course he wouldn't want anything to do with me._

Sighing, she quickened her pace in order to get to the subway station faster. It was already 2 A.M., and her mother had already called four times to say her father was pissed she hadn't come home yet. Now, not only she saw the man she wanted with another girl, she was also going to get her ass whooped by her parents when she got home.

The night couldn't get better.

While she was sighing, feeling sorry for herself and shaking, she didn't realize she was being followed. Her mind was so far off in the moment, that she didn't see the bulky man following her footsteps ever since she left the bar she had been with her friends. The man, though, had noticed her the second she put her foot outside, her good looks attracting him instantly. He had also seen that she was all alone, no friends accompanying her or anything; smirking to himself, he put his hood lower to cover his face, and started walking right after her.

He saw her hugging her body, probably cold with that tiny little skirt she was wearing. He could see her long legs, feeling something stir inside of him imagining them spread open. His eyes sparkled, a thousand different thoughts crossing his mind, endless possibilities for what he wanted to do with that little girl walking around the streets at that time of the night.

He started walking faster, the need to get her growing by the second, his hands twitching inside his jacket pockets. It was around an especially dark corner that he finally grabbed her, putting his big, sweaty hand over her mouth, preventing her from yelling and attracting unnecessary attention. Her blue eyes shot to his face, wide as saucers while her heart started bumping loudly, fear crashing in her bones when she realized that she didn't know that man. She struggled, though it was in vain, for he was stronger than she was. His huge arm surrounded her waist, his hand still on her mouth, while he raised her from the floor and started walking to a close by alley.

The streets were so empty at that time of the night that not a human soul was able to hear the girl squeaking from behind the man's hand, or the sound of her legs kicking wildly, nor when he bumped her head so she would pass out, making it impossible for her to run away. Her body fell heavy, her lids closing, making one lone tear fall on her pale cheek. He threw her body, not caring if her head would bump on the cold floor, and came over her.

That night, Ana Richardson would have met the most terrible fate a woman could ever face in her life. She would, if it weren't for a dark figure that happened to be out that same evening, looking for something interesting to do out of staying in the flat she had been sharing with her friends for the last year.

Frida was tired of listening to Charlotte and Peter's lovemaking; the couple often would stay the entire night loving each other, not really caring about her presence in the room next door, or about the fact that she could hear _everything_ , even if she didn't want to. For that reason, she was forced to leave the flat, deciding to roam around the cold and dark streets of St. Johns, Portland. Because of the time, the streets were basically empty, which made her totally bored. That was the loss of living in a small town. Everybody went to bed early, and those who didn't would hide themselves inside bars or night clubs, and she preferred to be away from those just in case. She was proud to say that after so many years, she had a good control over her instincts, but she wouldn't test it by going to a closed place packed with people.

Well, with nothing else to do, she decided to just walk around, feeling the drizzle wetting her hair and face, the cold wind blowing and the nice, fresh smell of nature that came with it. Her mind was peaceful; her thirst was subdued since she had already hunted the week before, so all was good and nice, and she just wanted to enjoy a cool evening. That's it.

However, like always in her life, something just _had_ to happen. This time, it was the sound of two fast beating hearts; they were beating so fast that Frida wondered if their owners were running around or having sex in the middle of the street. Shrugging, she continued on her way deciding not to pay attention to the humans having some sort of heavy exercise. However, her hearing caught another sound that made her change her course. It was so soft and subtle that a normal person wouldn't have been able to hear.

Frida wasn't normal, though. In fact, she was far from being normal. Her enhanced hearing, inhuman strength, speed, and big, burgundy eyes that could see as much as an eagle, were able to catch the moment this big, burly man carried a limp girl on his arms, entering what she supposed to be a dark alley. Upon seeing it, Frida took a deep sniff, bringing in the air the smell of sweat, cheap perfume and body lotion. What caught her attention, though, was the sweat smell of blood.

Instantly, though she was not thirsty, her throat constricted, burning, the need to go after that blood making her feet move on their own accord. In a matter of seconds she was in the alley, silently watching as the man opened his pants, ready to do something terrible to the girl lying limply on the floor, passed out and hurt. The smell of blood was coming directly from her. Frida forgot about it, however, feeling such hatred and rage for what the man was about to do that the sweet scent was left in the back of her mind. She would worry about it later.

A guttural sound came out of her, something that made the man stop what he was doing and look behind him, not expecting to see a girl about seventeen years old staring at him like she wanted to take his head off. He had dark eyes, a disgusting face that made Frida imagine all the ways she could use to finish his obnoxious existence.

She didn't let he say anything, though his mouth opened for the briefest of the moments; oh no. She wouldn't hear his voice. Her ice cold hand grabbed his neck so fast that he never saw it coming. For a person of her size, not more than 5'5 feet, it would've been impossible for her to raise a man of his size from the floor. His eyes were wide as saucers, and she saw the fear there before she simply turned his head and sank her teeth on his jugular. Unfortunately, his blood was delicious, warm and sweet, and she drank him dry while he squirmed and tried to punch her, with no success. When she was finished, she left his body fall on the floor like a bag of potatoes, cleaning her lips with the sleeve of her jacket.

It was inevitable to feel a bit good about herself at that moment; first because she just ate her "dinner", second because she had killed a vile man, who surely would have continued to assault girls walking around at night.

 _Didn't expect to be killed by one, for sure._ She smiled, kicking the dead body with the heel of her boot.

She _hated_ that kind of man. It was because of one of them that she became who she was.

Shaking her head, she looked back at the girl on the floor, feeling sorry for her; although the man hadn't had the chance to actually touch her, she still had to face the terrible of experience of what could've happened, which certainly would traumatize her. It was a pity, since she was really young.

Listening to the girl's soft heartbeat, she decided that she would help her. She took her body on her arms with no problem, thinking about dropping her off at the hospital. She tried very hard not to focus on the smell of the girl's blood, coming from the back of her head. In a flash, she crossed the town, thanking the sky that nobody was roaming on the streets, and arrived at the white building five minutes later. Gently, she put the girl on a bench in front of the hospital, praying that someone would find her soon enough. It'd be terrible saving the girl from a horrific fate only for her to die frozen on a bench.

Taking one last look at the lithe body, she left, going back to the alley in order to dispose of the man's body.

That night certainly didn't end the way she thought it would.


	2. One

"I lie among the tall green grass

That bends above my head

And covers up my wasted face

And folds me in its bed

Tenderly and lovingly

Like grass above the dead."

 **A Year and a Day**

Elizabeth Siddal

Frida was bored, like always.

Lying on the black divan in the living room, after she finished reading her twentieth book only that week - a generic book about wars between families for the right to a throne -, she stared at the white ceiling of the flat she shared with Peter and Charlotte. It was eerily quiet in her house – Peter and Charlotte were doing something, somewhere -, and the only sounds she could hear came from the city. She could hear the winter wind blowing, the cars roaming through the city, and the many voices of the humans babbling about their lives' problems and dramas. Sighing, she thought about what she could do, not really in the mood to stay there staring at _nothing_.

After so many years of existence, it was really difficult to not be bored to death – literally – during regular days like those. Sometimes, Frida would spent weeks lying on the divan, or sitting on the armchair, staring at nothing, thinking about nothing, feeling nothing, in the dream like state vampires' liked to call sleep. Every now and then, she didn't quite have the will to do anything but stare at nothing. Not even reading, which would always be one of her favorite activities, was satisfying during those periods. She was capable of reading thousands of books in a matter of months, and she had already read quite a few of the ones that the humans were releasing in the last couple of years. Nothing was able to catch her attention, though. It seemed to her that they were losing the capability of writing with originality, and more often than she cared to think she had come to face with stories that were mere copies of style and plot of the stories of old.

Subsequently to reading, and as a result of it, Frida loved writing; she already had written many books of poetry, some novels and short-stories, with the most varied plots, some of them re-telling of real stories – her favorites since the thrill of knowing people were reading a real story as fiction kept her going. She would publish them anonymously or under pseudonyms, of course, in order not to get attention.

Besides those activities, she enjoyed learning new languages, travelling around, going shopping for clothes and shoes – fashion was one of the things that always changed, therefore she always had something new to look for - watching movies, the occasional hunting for humans that were not supposed to be wandering so late at night on the streets, and, the newest on her list of things to do, surfing on the internet. She really enjoyed the humans' advance on technology, though it was endangering to her kind. At least they had something new to do. One of the things that she specifically liked was reading conspiracy theories on online forums. They really made her laugh.

Charlotte usually read them with her, and they would joke around after at some of them.

She had a nice friendship with Peter and Charlotte. They were very different, though, especially regarding their morals. Peter and Charlotte didn't care about humans, and hunted them with no concern about their lives. Frida, on the other hand, hunted and killed only people she considered bad. Furthermore, she actually felt a little jealous over their romantic relationship, never having understood the meaning of having a lifetime partner. Unfortunately, she never found her mate, something that a portion of the vampire community already had, which meant that the chances of finding her own mate were small. It bothered her after sometime of her existence, since being alone was really boring and, at times, sad. Loneliness became a burden after so many years wandering on her own. Therefore, when she came in contact with the couple, while they were roaming around North Dakota during winter, she accepted when they asked if she wanted to stick with them. She liked Charlotte, and found a friend in her. Peter, though incredible annoying sometimes, also took a place in her dead heart.

In a couple of years, they had gone to many places, not only in the U.S. but also in Canada. Living like nomads was the wisest thing to do when you were an immortal, in Frida's opinion, as was walking in groups. However, deep in her mind she wished she could have a house where she could finally maintain a library, decorate as she wanted, and just be free. Her fear of being alone, and succumbing to the ultimate vampire doom, that of becoming so still that your body would be unable to move again, made her follow the couple of vampires. Peter and Charlotte, though very old already, still kept that spark of youth, something that made them great to be around.

Getting out of her thoughts, Frida decided to go out in the city and buy something new for her wardrobe – shopping always helped in her boredom. Thus, she had seen some really pretty pumps on a store the previous week that would make a perfect match with the new dress she had bought a month ago.

By the time she came back to the flat, with four big bags that contained a couple of shoes and some jewelry she had found beautiful, Peter and Charlotte were already at home. What made her eyebrows slightly rise, though, was the presence of two more vampires that she did not know. A woman and a man stood in the middle of the living room, both very tall. The woman, who looked like she was on her twenties, was blonde, with a body full of curves, absolutely beautiful. The man was a brunette, very muscular and big, and he had his hand around the woman's waist. Their eyes turned to her figure before she even completely entered the place, and she realized that they were the color of amber, and not the blood red that was expected of vampires. Instantly she acknowledged them, knowing from the stories that Peter and Charlotte told her about the coven of "vegetarians", vampires who drank only animal blood. As a consequence, their eyes were of the color of gold.

— Oh, Frida! You're back. We thought you had gone on one of you trips to the north. – Charlotte was the first to speak, smiling brightly at the presence of her friend.

— I went shopping. – she stated the obvious, since many bags were lying on the floor. She didn't take her eyes off the couple standing still in the middle of the living room, and her head turned slightly to the side while she watched them intently. — So, will you introduce yourselves or should I?

Finally, Charlotte decided to make the proper presentations.

— Frida, these are Rosalie Hale – she pointed to the woman - and Emmett Cullen. They're in that family we mentioned.

— The boring ones? – she wondered, smirking slightly when the blonde woman frowned.

Peter snorted with laughter, and Charlotte threw him a cautious look over her shoulder. It was an inside joke between them, since Peter called them boring because they didn't drink from humans, and for him hunting animals was absolutely dull.

— The ones living in Washington. – Charlotte corrected, sending her a look that said "don't be a bitch", which made her crack a smile, showing all her white teeth.

— I recall. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Frida. - she extended her hand to both of them, and they shook it - Rosalie a little stronger than necessary, but she didn't mind.

— Likewise. – Emmett answered, also smiling and showing his dimples. He was cute, in a boyish kind of way, Frida thought. Rosalie only nodded her head in acknowledgement.

— Rosalie and Emmett came here in the name of Jasper and their family. They were just starting to tell us their story when you arrived.

— Oh, please continue, then. I'm very curious right now. - she sat on her divan still smiling, crossing her legs, and waiting for them to sit and start the tale. The one to speak was the girl, her voice melodious and pleasant.

— We came to ask a favor of you. We're having some… - she cleared her throat, looking briefly to her mate. -…problems with the Volturi.

— We heard you had an issue with Edward the past year, right? – Peter asked, listening very closely, just like Charlotte and Frida.

— Yes. – Emmett nodded, looking at Frida to explain. – He's one of our brothers.

She made a sound of understanding. — What kind of problem?

— Nothing that concerns the story here. – Rosalie kind of snapped, looking uncomfortable. Frida raised her eyebrow for the sudden outburst. — The thing is: we need people to witness something for us, to the Volturi.

— What? – this time, Charlotte was the one to inquire, eyeing the couple with surprise.

— We can't tell you. Only show. Will you come with us to Forks, so that you can see for yourselves?

Frida looked briefly to her two friends, seeing that they also were wondering what that was about.

— Uhh, did you kill one of Aro's pets? Or perhaps something even worse? – she asked, her mind going wildly over all the ideas of what this coven might have done to provoke the infamous Volturi coven to the point they needed witnesses.

Emmett was the one to answer, shaking his head. — No, nothing of the sorts. However, we do need help.

Charlotte and Peter shared a look, and Frida was certain they were as interested as she was to see what was going on. It was a fact in the vampire world that the Volturi were not to be messed with. Aro and his brothers had a lot of power in their hands, result of many centuries of assembling the vampires they considered special, the ones that were "graced" with a gift, thus making them the most dangerous coven in the world. It was through their hands that the Romenian coven, the one ruling over centuries before even Frida was born, lost their position and succumbed to a life as common vampires who bent the knee to the Volturi. It was them who controlled the vampires so the humans would not discover their existence – something that was becoming more difficult with the evolution of technology.

Frida was acquainted with their ways. So many years living on that earth, it was impossible not to be in contact with them at some point or another. Hers was at a very dark time in her life, when her blood lust made her kill mercilessly all humans who crossed her path. She hated them so much at that time that she wanted them extinguished. Because of this hatred, and all of the attention she was attracting to herself, she was "invited" to go to Volterra by Aro's minions.

At the time, she didn't know who they were, nor did she care. The lack of fear, mingled with the hate she had for authority, made her think that that special group of vampires were a bunch of clowns who thought too much of themselves. Therefore she didn't think twice before saying "no" when Aro invited her to join his guard – amazed by her own special gift. Although he was not very pleased, he let her go, promising they would meet again someday. Since then, she haven't had contact with them and decidedly avoided Italy on her trips around the world, knowing that Aro wouldn't take no twice.

Now, all she could do was wonder what this Cullen coven had done. She had heard some stories about them, and knew for sure that they were good vampires, the kind that preferred to live a suburban life, with a permanent residence, and even going as far as being part of the humans' society.

— I don't think any coven that came in confrontation with them was left to tell the story. – Charlotte muttered, already feeling sorry for them since they would probably have to deny the request.

— We don't want any confrontation. – Emmett quickly answered.

— It's very hard to trust that when you come here in need of witnesses. – Frida gave them a complacent smile, trying very hard not to be judgmental. — You'll need to give us more than the "in the name of Jasper" thing, because we'd be exposing our necks to imminent death here.

— Frida is right. As much as I care about Jasper, and we really do, – Peter started, and Charlotte nodded. – we need more information. At least to prepare for what is going to happen.

There was a long moment of silence, neither Rosalie nor Emmett saying anything. The looks on their faces showed desperation and defeat, respectively, something that made Frida feel bad. Finally, after sometime munching over what to do, Rosalie decided to give them a proper explanation.

— Edward has a mate…- she stopped briefly, sighing. - she was human, and she knew about us. – all red eyes grew in size for a moment, knowing pretty well the danger of a human knowing of their existence and still living to see the sunrise. — The Volturi found out, and gave Edward the chance to turn her. He did. She's a newborn now.

— But…?- Charlotte looked anxious, already knowing that something big was about to happen.

— She got… pregnant.

A moment of silence followed, before Frida shook her head. — A vampire having a child? How is it even possible?

Rosalie was quick to answer. — It happened while she was still human.

One more moment of silence, and Frida was sure that if they were humans, a lot of gasps would've been heard.

— Did the baby survive? – Peter was the first to speak, still shocked that something like that would actually happen.

Rosalie and Emmett shared a look that told them everything they needed to know.

— So now they have an immortal child, is that it? – Frida asked, understanding that this would be a very good reason for the Volturi to be mad.

A long time ago, ancient vampires decided it was a good idea to turn children into vampires. The immortal children, as they were called, raised havoc in villages, killing people without thinking twice to satiate their thirst, consequently exposing them to the eyes of the humans. It was the Volturi who put a stop to this, killing all the children together with their creators.

— She is not immortal. – Rosalie said defensively. Her golden eyes shone with such fierceness that it didn't take a very observant person to see that this was something personal to her. — Her heart beats, she has blood, and her scent is a mixture of vampire and human.

— Impossible. – Charlotte whispered, still not believing that something like that could actually happen.

— That's why we want you to see. You have to see her and feel her in order to understand. This was something new for us too, and we know it's difficult to believe.

— We're here because our brother trusts you. And we know that you trust us too. You've already been to our home; you know that we'd never do something bad purposefully. – Emmett concluded what Rosalie said, sounding so convincing that it didn't take too long before Charlotte and Peter looked at each other and nodded.

Finally, their eyes turned to their companion, who was still munching over the piece of information. Frida was really astonished. She had lived for over four hundred years and never had she heard about children conceived from the relationship between a human and a vampire. For her, it was a fact that vampires – female or male – were infertile. It didn't make sense that their dead bodies would produce life.

She was _shocked_.

— Frida, don't feel like you have to do it for us. You don't even know Jasper, or the Cullens. It might be dangerous. – Charlotte's voice took her out of her musing, and Peter nodded his agreement. Rosalie and Emmett didn't really mind, since they were already able to convince Jasper's friends, but if they had one more vampire to witness, it'd be great.

As for Frida, she felt something stirring inside of her. Something she only felt when hunting. It has been quite some time since anything interesting happened in her life. She was quite bored as of the last couple of years, having done pretty much everything there was to do. Seeing a child born of the relationship between a vampire and a human, though, was something she was yet to see. Therefore, smiling again, she gave her final answer.

— I haven't been to Washington in years. Why not?

With that decided, it didn't take more than half an hour for them to be driving off to Forks.

 **A/N: Hello!**

 **I'm doing this fiction just for fun! I'm really enjoying writing it.**

 **The story will pass in Breaking Dawn part II, mixing up the movie and the book, then it'll follow post-BD.**

 **Hope you enjoy it, have fun with me, and fall in love with Twilight once again!**


	3. Two

"Dim phantoms of an unknown ill

Float through my tired brain;

The unformed visions of my life

Pass by in ghostly train;

Some pause to touch me on the cheek,

Some scatter tears like rain."

 **A Year and a Day**

Elizabeth Siddal

~o~

After a couple of hours travelling by car – not that they would mind going running, since Portland wasn't that far from Washington, - the five vampires finally entered the city of Forks. It was Frida's first time in the small town, since it never had anything special that caught her attention, besides being constantly cloudy, which was certainly the reason why the Cullens had a permanent residence there. The car passed the "The City of Forks Welcome You" sign, and Frida eyed the many trees decorating the sides of the road, remembering her own hometown of Wiesensteig, an ancient small town in Germany, built in the middle of a valley.

The smell of earth, rain, wet grass and trees hit her and made her smile; she enjoyed nature more than anything. It was something that never changed, except for the humans' constant deforestation and pollution, it remained with its trees, animals and wildness.

When they entered the center of the town, she eyed the many humans walking around, and her throat started to burn from the strong smell of warm blood, which suddenly made her remember something very important. — How is hunting around here?

She was so caught up in imagining how good would that blonde's man blood taste that she didn't see the looks of exasperation Peter and Charlotte exchanged. They knew that they would be absolutely forbidden to hunt in the region, not only because the Cullens didn't like killing humans, but they also had some kind of agreement with a local tribe that knew about their existence.

— Actually, it's forbidden to hunt humans around here. – Emmett was the one to answer, turning around to look at her from the passenger seat. Though he had a friendly smile on his face, his honey eyes shone with solemnity, showing the new vampire that he wasn't joking. — As you noticed, we don't drink human blood, only animal. You're welcome to do the same, otherwise go to another place.

— Not even the bad ones? – she eyed Emmett with a questioning look, but he still shook his head.

— When we come here, we usually go to Seattle or even Vancouver. You know the Canadians are absolutely delicious. – Charlotte offered, smiling at her. Frida only nodded, not really caring about that little misfortune.

— By the way, why hasn't Jasper come? – Peter asked, intrigued. It's been a couple of months since they had last spoken to each other, the last time being when they visited Forks. Again it was Emmett who answered, and Frida noticed that he usually was the one to talk, and that the blonde, Rosalie, almost didn't say anything.

— He went to the south, searching for other possible witnesses. - the big vampire answered, without looking back at them.

— Oh, right.

The conversation ended and the car was quiet once again, and it was kept that way until they entered a road that passed inside the forest and arrived at the Cullen's house. The house was surrounded by trees, surely in a way to conceive their lifestyle from the curious eyes of the inhabitants of the town. It was a really nice house, made following the Swedish modern design, all very open and light.

When they got out of the car, the first thing that came to her was the smell of the different vampires inside the house, one particularly weird and stinky, and a scent that never before she had felt.

— How many vampires were you manage to recruit? – she wondered, eyeing the big house.

— Some. – was the only answer she got before Rosalie opened the trunk of the car and they took off their baggage.

The house from inside was also very modern, though some objects here and there were certainly old, so well decorated that Frida appraised.

— Nice house.

— Yeah, we have our own architect with years of experience. – Emmett sent a smile on her direction, not really explaining what that actually meant. She didn't care, though.

They left their baggage in the hall, and followed Rosalie and Emmett upstairs, to the floor were everybody seemed to be reunited. Sweeping her eyes around the room, Frida counted about six vampires, however, she couldn't recognize their faces. While roaming her eyes through each of them, her stare fell on a young boy with olive skin and dark hair. It was from him that the weird, unpleasant smell was coming, and she scrunched her nose in disgust. He realized she was doing it and glared daggers at her, which made her smile amused. He wasn't a vampire; he seemed only to be rotting inside, since his smell was foul, so maybe he was sick or something.

She shifted attention when she felt eyes on her; she was getting the look from another vampire with golden eyes – which she noted that most of the vampires in the house had. He had brown hair with some strands of bronze that were very subtle for human eyes, but for a vampire it was impossible to miss. He was standing next to a female with a weird eye color, a mixture of red and gold, and long wavy brown hair; she was smiling softly to something, or rather someone, bellow her. Frida shifted her eyes, looking at what the woman was looking at, and seeing, then, the reason for them coming all the way from Portland.

The child.

Instantly, Frida had all her attentions on her. Her smell was…different. Though she had pale skin and a subtle vampire scent, Frida understood why she could never be an immortal child. Her heart was beating fast inside her chest, flowing blood, something that no vampire had, through her veins, and making her cheeks rosy and her skin warm. In addition, her delicate vampire scent mixed with the sweet human blood made a smell so amazingly wonderful that Frida swore never in so many years of existence having felt something like that.

When she turned around, probably noticing that someone was staring at her, the older vampire could see her face. She had dark brown eyes, and light brown wavy hair molding her face, giving a perfect contrast with her pale skin. The child smiled, then, and instantly Frida felt a very endearing feeling towards her. She was innocent, much too innocent for the world she was about to start her long life as an immortal.

Suddenly, Frida's memory took her to a very distant past, in a time that things were a lot more difficult and she was just a poor human girl, living with her mother and sister. She was about five and her sister, Hilda, seven. Hilda had long dark hair, similar to Frida's own hair color, with bright hazel eyes, and a cute face, just like the little girl coming in her direction.

If Frida had a beating heart, it would certainly be hurting because of the memories the girl had brought her. They were painful, the screams still possible to hear in the back of her mind, a constant reminder of what she once had and that lived no more.

She got to her knees when the little girl stopped in front of her. Without either one of them saying anything, the girl's small hand came in the direction of Frida's face, touching it with soft, warm fingers. Abruptly, it was like Frida had known her since day one, for images of a weird place, a beating heart and distinct voices all came flooding down her mind. They were her memories, she realized, amazed. The girl smiled, showing all her little white teeth, a gesture that was not unanswered.

— You have a really nice gift, Nessie. – she said the name she felt the girl liked being called by others, smiling brightly at her.

For a moment, she forgot she was in a room full of strangers, so stupefied she was by the hybrid girl, and raised her hand, bringing in her direction a vase of flowers that was on the table not far from there. It didn't take a second for the object to come flying, involved in a reddish glow, reaching her extended hand with a low _tump_. Taking one rose out of the vase, she gave it to the girl, who smiled even more, delighted with Frida's own special gift.

— Thanks. – she said, smelling the rose briefly, never losing her smile.

After the little exchange, the girl looked behind her, and then Frida realized what she had done. She had shown her own gift in front of everybody, something that she'd never have done, unless she absolutely trusted the people. Golden-eyes full of wonder analyzed her, whilst Charlotte and Peter smiled.

Standing up, and returning the vase to its place on the table, she stared at everyone.

— Show's over, ladies and gentlemen. – Although she had a smile on her face, in the back of her mind she was kicking herself for being so reckless.

 _Way to be smart, Frida._ She thought.

— Sorry, I don't believe we know you. – the man with brown hair and golden eyes, who had some very similar features to those of the little girl, came forth, staring at her with a little, almost inexistent smile.

— I'm Frida. – she extended her hand, feeling all the eyes still on her. — I came here for the party.

She heard Peter snickering, while the man in front of her just nodded, his lips uplifting just a little.

— I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my family. – he opened his arms while motioning to the golden red-eyed woman and Nessie. — My mate Bella and my daughter, Renesmee.

The woman, who had been looking at her with curiosity, smiled, embracing Nessie at her side like she was a treasure too precious to be seen by _anyone_.

— It's a pleasure. – she finally said, receiving another smile from Frida.

— She came with us, Edward. – Charlotte came forward, standing next to her friend and grabbing her hand. — She's the vampire we mentioned when we came here last year.

— I figured. - Edward nodded. — Well, I thank you for coming. More people are always welcome.

— Sure.

— Why don't you guys introduce yourselves to Frida? – Edward looked around to the rest of the vampires, and the stinky boy, and everybody seemed to relax and come forth.

That day, Frida met all the vampires who called themselves "vegetarians". The two covens, Cullens and Denalis, both had learned how to feed only on animals, and she was truly astonished when they told her, Peter and Charlotte about their diet.

— It takes off all the competitiveness, all the anger. – one of the Denali leaders, Tanya, a beautiful vampire with strawberry blond hair, said.

— It's like human blood is the responsible for our hatred. – her sister, Kate, supplied.

— Why did you stop drinking from humans, if I may ask? – Frida was curious, since it was the first time she came face to face with those vegetarians, even after having heard of them a couple of times.

The sisters, Tanya and Kate, smiled at each other, like there was an intern joke between them that they would not tell.

— Let's say we got tired of killing men. – Kate was the one who answered.

— Does it change anything in your skills? – this time Peter, always the soldier, wondered.

— No. If anything, it only makes us more controllable around humans, and that's why we, and the Cullens, can live in permanent residence.

That sparked the interest in Frida. For her, it was impossible for a vampire to keep a fixed residence in a place. First, they didn't age, and the humans certainly would notice that after a family lived in a city for seventy years and remained with the same face. Second, how could they hunt and not be discovered, or at least suspected? Although Frida had quite the capacity to control herself around humans – after so many years, and being bored of having to hide all the time, she'd learned how to get a grip of her instincts, which made it possible for her to walk around in a crowded city, like once she did in New York, if there was no blood, of course. All her control was thrown in the air by the casual sniff of blood flowing freely.

— That's interesting. – she mused, wondering if she would be capable of doing such a thing. — Don't you miss it, though?

A collection of sighs was heard from all the Denalis at the same time.

— It's impossible not to. That's why we live far away from the city, though we still go there eventually. To avoid temptation, you know. – the one called Carmen said, and the others nodded.

— I see. – she muttered, closing the subject, since it was not a very comfortable one.

— What about you? Don't you get tired of flying from one place to another all the time? – Kate broke the silence, staring at the only vampires there that had red eyes.

Peter answered first, taking Charlotte's hand within his own. — Not actually. It helps to keep things interesting.

— Well, I'd very much like to have a permanent residence, though I don't know if I'd be able to. – Frida sighed, thinking about the many times she imagined herself living in a cozy house, with a nice view, a backyard, maybe, and a lot of trees.

— Why not? – Tanya asked.

Frida shrugged. — Fear of being discovered, I suppose. Also, the prospect of living alone isn't so…exciting.

Carmen gave her a gentle look. — You don't have a mate?

— No.

Once again, the room was cloaked with silence. Frida looked around, seeing that everybody had someone. Tanya and Kate, though they didn't have a mate either, were sisters, thus having a strong bond with each other – they had also mentioned another sibling that wasn't there; Carmen and Eleazar were lovers, just like Rosalie and Emmett, Edward and Bella, Charlotte and Peter. Out of everybody there, she was the only one that was utterly alone; even if she had some friends here and there, that was it. She didn't have a family, like the Cullens and Denalis seemed to have formed; she also didn't have a mate.

Trying very hard not to be sad with that, and once again remembering her time as a human, with her human family, Frida decided to change the topic of the conversation and cut through the awkward silence.

— So, I hope it isn't weird to ask that, but how did the two of you meet? – sh eyed Edward and Bella, who looked at each other with a smile on their faces.

— Kind of a long story. – Edward was the one to answer.

— She was his singer. – Frida's eyes widened when Emmett offered that piece of information with a playful smile. Then all eyes were on the couple. Edward rolled his eyes, probably annoyed with his brother, but he decided to explain anyway.

— We met at school.

— What? You went to school? - Frida was really confused now. She knew from what Charlotte and Peter had told her that the Cullens lived amongst the humans. But she'd never have guessed that they actually went to _school_. Looking at them, they didn't quite look like the human teens, even if they did look young.

— Yes, we always go to school or college. It's part of the coverage. – Edward explained. — Anyway, Bella was the new girl in Forks, she had just moved.

— And he fell hopelessly in love with me. First sight. – Bella intervened, sending her husband a wink, which made him widen his smile instantly.

— More like he wanted to drink her dry. – Emmett, who Frida was starting to like more and more, made Edward and Bella look at him wearily, before sending a look towards Renesmee.

The little girl, though, was playing with the stinky boy, with Rosalie watching intensely, and wasn't really paying any attention.

— I'm really surprised that you didn't, Edward. – Peter shook his head in wonder. – You were able to resist your singer.

All vampires nodded, and everyone seemed to think about their own singers, a human whose blood was so appealing to them, like it sang and called them. Usually, when a vampire met his or her singer, death was eminent, for it was difficult for them to resist the urge and desire to drink the blood. Frida remembered a long time ago, when she had come to face her own singer, a girl named Olivia, British, beautiful and with a really, really delicious blood.

 _May she rest in peace_ , Frida thought warily. It had been the first time, after many years killing only bad people, that Frida didn't resist and killed an innocent human.

Edward eyed her for a moment, his brows rising for a second before he returned his look to Bella.

— Well, it did take a lot of effort.

— He didn't go to school for quite some time, running away from her.

This time, Edward didn't stop the annoyance from showing on his face when Emmett didn't stop talking. Frida bit her lip trying not to laugh, as did some of the other listeners.

— Thank you, Emmett, for your insights.

Though Edward was obviously being sarcastic, Emmett smiled. — Any time.

— We became _kinda_ friends after that. – Bella jumped in, before Edward shut Emmett up with his fists. — And soon we fell in love for each other.

— And how did you become pregnant, if I may ask? – Frida asked, curious.

— I thought you were an _experienced_ vampire, Frey. – Peter interfered, smirking. — Do you truly not know how babies are conceived?

She ignored his comment deciding to focus only on Bella, who smiled.

— It was a surprise. – the newborn vampire said, and Edward nodded. — We didn't know it was possible.

Frida agreed before replying. — Yeah. I thought we were all dead inside.

— Apparently the boys are still working pretty well. – Charlotte commented, smiling slightly, which made everybody chuckle.

— Oh, I have a question. – Carmen raised her hand, a curious look on her face. — How was the delivery?

Out of a sudden, an uncomfortable silence took place. Even Emmett looked disturbed, while Edward looked at Bella with such a painful expression that it made Frida avert her eyes.

Carmen, realizing this, gave an apologizing look. — Sorry, you don't need to tell.

— It's okay. – Bella shook her head, smiling. — It was difficult, since my body wasn't ready for a baby vamp.

— Was that how you changed her? – Peter asked, eyeing the couple.

Edward nodded, taking Bella's hand in his own.

— And how do you feel, being a newborn and all? – Frida decided to change the focus of the conversation once more, and she could see Edward's shoulders relax a little.

— It's actually pretty amazing. – Bella answered honestly. — My senses seemed to have developed like a hundred percent.

— Oh gosh, I'm so old that I don't even remember the feeling of being a newborn anymore. – Tanya complained, making people laugh.

Frida nodded. — Roger that.

— Not old. Experienced. – Kate nudged her sister with her elbow.

The day continued with the vampires – and Jacob, the werewolf boy, Frida found out later -, talking and getting to know each other. It was all very amicable and comfortable, a good conversation with people who knew each other's struggles and pains. In the evening, when everybody dispersed, Frida went to the balcony of the Cullen's house, staring at the millions of stars in the clear sky; in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but be grateful that she had the chance to come to Forks and get to know the Cullens and Denalis. Now, after listening to their stories, she wanted to help them. She only hoped that they were enough to stand against the Volturi.

Sighing, she looked inside the house, surprised to see Edward Cullen staring intently at her. When he realized she was looking at him, he did something that he hadn't done, at least not to her.

He smiled.


End file.
